05/06/2023
STUDIO VISIT | KATE LESUEUR
Earlier this season, we collaborated with Austin artist Kate LeSueur to exhibit her work in our Houston store. The exhibition represented a new era for the photographer, as she endeavoured to cut loose the ties of expectation and embark on a journey of 'letting go.' A self-discovered freedom that sings beautifully throughout her photographs and artworks.
Read our conversation with Kate about her process and inspiration to create art through photography and painting, alongside her captivating images within her east Austin studio space.
Q: What inspires you to take pictures?
KL: It's so intuitive, so it's hard to pinpoint exactly. It's something I don't give much thought or calculation to, rather it's a feeling I get that I just need to "catch," a moment that I encounter, or that is passing by. Usually it's the angle of incidence of light, or interesting movement, or blocks of color. Hard to explain! And importantly, the photograph must be made in that very moment I've sensed it because impermanence is real. The "catching" is something I've really learnt to trust and have practiced over the years. Which ultimately has been a practice of learning to trust myself, really.
Q: Your favourite moment you've been able to capture so far is...
KL: Not to sound too Pollyanna about it, but for sure my children. They are still so young, but only just a couple of years ago, I see now how sacred our time at home together was and has been. Postpartum, height of the pandemic, and after, all of it. It was pure drudgery and overwhelm a lot of the time if I'm honest, and also just the purest joy. And allowed for true presence. What a gift. I realise now looking at all those images how special they are and what a specific blip in time it is.
Q: When do you feel your personal best?
KL: When I'm in a cold clear water river that is running over limestone. This is a very special and magical thing about living in Central Texas, this cold and clear water. The limestone. To feel so free in my body and mind, it's very expansive and such a privilege to experience these gifts of nature. She is so good to us.
Q: Five years ago I wish I would've known...
KL: To just chill out and trust the process and its unfolding. Still telling myself that everyday :)
Q: The place I will always want to visit is...
KL: ooooh this is a hard one! There are so many... perhaps cliche, but the first things that come to mind are - seeing my Grandmother. And France!
Q: Something about yourself you've learnt to appreciate over time...
KL: I'm only now just beginning to learn (and working very hard!) to appreciate myself in just a general sense. I have recently realised that I have this little 'pilot light' of courage and naivety. I've noticed from a very young age how it's led me to certain things and paths, I'm learning to really honour and protect it instead of judge or dismiss it.
Q: One thing you're really looking forward to...
KL: My garden tomatoes!! They bring unbridled joy year after year, and it never gets old.
Photographs by Kate LeSueur for Mr. Larkin 2023.